This is one of the joys of Valkyria Chronicles -- watching your army develop. You and I could both play the game to completion and find that the units we were using to get the same job done were nothing alike (you can change Avan's class to whichever you want it to be). Plus, there's a branching class progression tree, so even if you were using troopers like me, it's possible that my elite trooper was nothing like your elite gunner -- even though they're both from the same "trooper" class.

Whew. Sorry if that's a bit much to wrap your head around in text-form. Basically, the system is really, really deep and opens up a wealth of gameplay possibilities for you.

Still, it's not perfect. There are periods where you'll just cruise through battles and dominate your opponent before slamming into a difficulty spike that has you trying the same mission over and over again. The good news is that while these stalls are no doubt frustrating, they were never impassible for me. In fact, I think the difficulty might have been dialed down a bit from the original. When I'd hit one of these missions that I just couldn't seem to get past, I'd go play a few of the optional missions I had passed up, level up some characters, and come back to the task at hand. Usually, this gave me the time to clear my head and tackle the issue.

If you do stall like me, there's plenty to do besides the mission that's bugging you. The missions are laid out by the months of Avan's school year. You'll need to complete a set number of "key" missions to unlock a "story" one that advances the month and the game's plot. However, each month also has a bunch of "free" missions that are just there for your experience points and personal pleasure. And then there are the missions you pick up from classmates in those conversations I was talking about. And then there are the missions you buy from the store. And then there's the fact that you're getting a letter grade on every mission you take, so there's always that prodding to go back, do better, and get more stuff.

The game's packed with content, but if you need more, Valkyria Chronicles II introduces multiplayer to the mix. Through the wonders of ad-hoc gameplay, you can team up with friends or bash their brains in. The co-op section is the standout in my opinion. Here, you can join up to three additional players and take on missions together. You all move at the same time on the map, so you'll need to communicate strategies and what exactly you're doing as you may not be in the same areas. You don't get as many command points as you're dealing with fewer troops, but working as a unit is an advantage all its own.

Aside from the fact that a 30-hour player can come in and clean house on the enemies a lower level player might be stuck on, you can use the two-player approach to distract a shield carrying enemy on one front so a friend can come in for a killing blow. You each get your own experience points and resources when the battle's over, so there's no reason not to pop in with a pal and grind out missions you may have already completed. It's fun to defend a base with a pal or revive a fallen friend.

A pretty girls scare soldiers.

On the versus side, things are still fun, but it's a bit more complicated. Again, you're bringing the army you've been using in your story, so mismatches are easy to come by. Yes, you can clip a handicap onto a more experienced squad, but it isn't all that clear and that neuter's the team the person's been playing with and still doesn't really even the playing field. In the end, it's pretty easy for the most experienced player to just decimate the noobs at the table. People who are both Valkyria nuts, however, will find better matches.

The Verdict

Valkyria Chronicles II is awesome. It&#Array;s fun, it&#Array;s pretty, it&#Array;s rewarding, and it&#Array;s beyond deep. The story is a bit "by the numbers" and I could go for a few refinements on the battlefield, but I can&#Array;t complain. Valkyria Chronicles II has so much going for it that I&#Array;m going to be playing for months to come.

8.5PresentationThe story is easy to follow and get into, but it’s a bit too predictable. The hub world map makes getting around a breeze, but a little more explanation on the nitty gritty would be welcome.

8.5GraphicsThe cutscenes look great, but I wanted more. The majority of the game is told through static portraits and text boxes. Still, the game is packing that awesome watercolor vibe of the original.

8SoundI dug all the voices and music in Valkyria Chronicles, but again, I wanted more. Lots of those text boxes just have an introductory vocal that get’s repeated every conversation.

8.5GameplayThe battle system from the original has been shoved onto the PSP and feels great. Plotting where your troops should go and whom you should heal makes for good times.

9.5Lasting AppealThe story took me into the 40-hour territory, and then there were the missions I skipped and bought. Toss in the multiplayer stuff and chasing the best ranks, and I’ll be playing for a while.